Matthew Rojansky

Matthew Rojansky is an expert on U.S. relations with the states of the former Soviet Union, especially Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. He has advised governments, intergovernmental organizations, and major private actors on conflict resolution and efforts to enhance shared security throughout the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian region.

From 2010 to 2013, he was Deputy Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. There, he founded Carnegie's Ukraine Program, led a multi-year project to support U.S.-Russia health cooperation, and created a track-two task force to promote resolution of the Moldova-Transnistria conflict. From 2007 to 2010, Rojansky served as executive director of the Partnership for a Secure America (PSA). Founded by former congressman Lee Hamilton (D-IN) and former senator Warren Rudman (R-NH) with a group of two dozen former senior leaders from both political parties, PSA seeks to rebuild bipartisan dialogue and productive debate on U.S. national security and foreign policy challenges.

While at PSA, Rojansky orchestrated high-level bipartisan initiatives aimed at repairing the U.S.-Russian relationship, strengthening the U.S. commitment to nuclear arms control and nonproliferation, and leveraging global science engagement for diplomacy.

Rojansky is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS and American University, and a participant in the Dartmouth Dialogues, a track-two U.S.-Russian conflict resolution initiative begun in 1960.

He is frequently interviewed on TV and radio, and his writing has appeared in the International Herald Tribune, the Washington Post, and Foreign Policy.

Related Content for this Expert

"I tend to think this is an exceptionally dangerous situation for the simple reason that the Russian message 'Take us seriously or else' has never received a satisfactory answer," said Matthew Rojansky on Russia's annexation of Crimea. more

Pact, with the assistance of USAID, brought a delegation of Belarusian civic activists and policy analysts to Washington, DC to brief Washington-based stakeholders on developments and trends in the politics, economy and civil society of Belarus. The Kennan Institute hosted the delegation for a panel discussion of civil society achievements as well as the security, political, and economic impact of Ukrainian developments on Belarus - particularly the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
more

Listening to the rhetoric surrounding Russia’s move on Crimea, you might think the Cold War never ended. Why did Putin make this move and is there more in store? And how significant is the damage done to Russia’s relationships around the world? Kennan Institute’s Matt Rojansky offers insight into the situation during this episode of Wilson Center NOW. more

Miscommunication, misinterpretation, and misinformation have abounded in the last weeks as Ukraine's crisis has careened from violence in the capital and mass protests throughout the country, perilously close to the brink of war in Crimea. Now more than ever, a clear picture of what is going on in Crimea, Ukraine and the region is vitally important. Join us by phone to discuss the situation with key experts. more

"It was clear to Putin from the beginning that this was going to be a line-crossing maneuver. As soon as he occupied Crimea, as soon as he sought to trigger and deepen the divisions that we see within Ukrainian society in order to effectively undermine the sovereignty of this new government in Ukraine, he was declaring that all bets were off," Matthew Rojansky said on The Diane Rehm Show. more

"If we seek to freeze the assets of Russian companies, if we seek to block their ability to import or export, the Russians have already made it clear that they will respond in kind and they may even respond disproportionately as they have in the past, and that's going to hurt American companies," Matthew Rojansky said on NPR's "All Things Considered." more

If Ukrainians seek a brighter future, they must recognize, isolate and reject the inclinations to use violence that are now deeply rooted in the country’s political culture, write Mattison Brady and Matthew Rojansky. more

Matthew Rojansky discussed the ongoing violence in Ukraine on "PBS NewsHour" with William Taylor, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. "Even cutting a geopolitical deal, imagine Russia, the United States, Europe sit down around a table and they come to a compromise, it doesn't necessarily solve the violence we're seeing on the streets today," Rojansky said. more

The fall of Yanukovich and his inner circle now thrusts the oligarchic groups, each of which controls a parliamentary faction, into the spotlight. The onus is now on them to see the bigger picture, and to live up to their political responsibilities, writes Mathew Rojansky. more

After violence swept over Kyiv the last few days leaving dozens dead and hundreds wounded, opposition leaders have apparently reached an agreement with President Viktor Yanukovych to try to halt the rapidly escalating crisis. In this Ground Truth Briefing, experts discuss the current state of affairs in Ukraine. more

Pages

Listening to the rhetoric surrounding Russia’s move on Crimea, you might think the Cold War never ended. Why did Putin make this move and is there more in store? And how significant is the damage done to Russia’s relationships around the world? Kennan Institute’s Matt Rojansky offers insight into the situation during this episode of Wilson Center NOW.

"It was clear to Putin from the beginning that this was going to be a line-crossing maneuver. As soon as he occupied Crimea, as soon as he sought to trigger and deepen the divisions that we see within Ukrainian society in order to effectively undermine the sovereignty of this new government in Ukraine, he was declaring that all bets were off," Matthew Rojansky said on The Diane Rehm Show.

"If we seek to freeze the assets of Russian companies, if we seek to block their ability to import or export, the Russians have already made it clear that they will respond in kind and they may even respond disproportionately as they have in the past, and that's going to hurt American companies," Matthew Rojansky said on NPR's "All Things Considered."

If Ukrainians seek a brighter future, they must recognize, isolate and reject the inclinations to use violence that are now deeply rooted in the country’s political culture, write Mattison Brady and Matthew Rojansky.

Matthew Rojansky discussed the ongoing violence in Ukraine on "PBS NewsHour" with William Taylor, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. "Even cutting a geopolitical deal, imagine Russia, the United States, Europe sit down around a table and they come to a compromise, it doesn't necessarily solve the violence we're seeing on the streets today," Rojansky said.

The fall of Yanukovich and his inner circle now thrusts the oligarchic groups, each of which controls a parliamentary faction, into the spotlight. The onus is now on them to see the bigger picture, and to live up to their political responsibilities, writes Mathew Rojansky.

Ukraine desperately needs a bottom-up commitment from the people to reject indifference, cynicism, sloth and other poisonous habits built up over more than half a century of dysfunctional Soviet governance, writes Matthew Rojansky.

The upcoming Sochi Olympics prompted President Vladimir Putin to clear the decks of the country’s most prominent – and troubling – political cases, bringing renewed focus on the Russian judicial system. On the 20th anniversary of the Russian constitution, William Pomeranz and Matthew Rojansky issue a rule of law report card for the Russian Federation.

There are plenty of reasons to be cynical about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motivation in announcing an amnesty last month for more than 20,000 prisoners, writes Matthew Rojansky. But one vital fact should not be overlooked: real progress has now been made on one of the most persistently contentious items on the Russia-West agenda.

Pages

The protection of property rights remains one of the most contentious issues in present-day Russia. From historically weak ownership rights to unclear laws to the reliance on offshore accounts, Russian property rights consistently seem to be under threat. This panel discussed historical, legal, and political attempts to enforce property rights and why this issue continues to be so controversial today.

The Global Europe Program is pleased to host the 10th Annual Ion Ratiu Democracy Award Workshop on Ukrainian Democracy After the Maidan featuring keynote remarks the 2014 recipient of the Ion Ratiu Democracy Award, Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist, democracy activist and Parliamentarian in Ukraine. Opening remarks will be provided by Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland.

What would be the outcome of changing policy and sending military assistance to Ukraine? Would such a step help Ukraine resist the aggression or further escalate the war? How would it change America’s role in the conflict?

Russia’s incorporation of Crimea and continuing support for armed separatists in Ukraine demonstrates the changes the Russian national identity has undergone in the last two years. This talk focused on the dramatic revisions in Russia’s foreign policy doctrine since Putin’s return to power, looking at the specific worldview and major ideological conceptions that have prompted this change.

There is much riding on the early parliamentary elections in Ukraine on October 26. Ukrainians face an ongoing war despite the tenuous ceasefire in the Donbas region, and severe economic pressures. The desperate need for reform is still at the top of the agenda for Maidan activists who overthrew the Yanukovych regime in February, and for the international community which has pledged to support Ukraine financially through the difficult months ahead. How can the new Rada to be elected this Sunday make meaningful progress in the face of these daunting challenges?

Have we returned to the zero-sum game mentality from our Cold War past? Did we ever leave it? Or is this some kind of deep freeze with the Russians? And just how cold (or hot) is it going to get? Join us as three veteran analysts, practitioners, and scholars of Russia and the U.S.-Russian relationship discuss and debate these issues in this latest National Conversation.

In Reagan at Reykjavik: Forty-Eight Hours That Ended the Cold War, former arms control director Ken Adelman, gives readers a dramatic, first-hand account of the Reagan-Gorbachev summit -- the weekend that proved key to ending the Cold War. Based on now-declassified notes of Reagan’s secret bargaining with Gorbachev, and a front-row seat to Reykjavik and other key moments in Reagan’s presidency, Adelman gives an honest portrayal of the man at one of his finest and most challenging moments.

Pact, with the assistance of USAID, brought a delegation of Belarusian civic activists and policy analysts to Washington, DC to brief Washington-based stakeholders on developments and trends in the politics, economy and civil society of Belarus. The Kennan Institute hosted the delegation for a panel discussion of civil society achievements as well as the security, political, and economic impact of Ukrainian developments on Belarus - particularly the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Pages

Ukrainians have voted, and they have overwhelmingly chosen to stay the course on European integration.
Late last month, pro-European parties won a sweeping victory in parliamentary elections that saw allies of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk come out on top. But while Europe and the United States are celebrating the outcome as a strategic victory for the West, the election result itself simply builds on the slogans of last winter's Euromaidan Revolution. The trouble is that in Ukraine, such rhetoric has all too often led to disappointment.

Corporate raiding in Ukraine is a widely discussed and reported problem that severely damages investment and economic development, prospects for European integration, and the welfare of ordinary people. Yet the phenomenon of raiding itself is only poorly understood, often either dismissed as inseparable from the country's broader problem of endemic corruption, or imputed to powerful and shadowy raiders thought to be immune from defensive measures by private businesses. The author's field research in Ukraine sheds light on the history, causes and methodologies of raiding, as well as on the costs and consequences of raiding for Ukraine's further development.